Fountain pen filling device



Q R. TERRY 203,475

FOUNTAIN PEN r`LLING DEVICE Griginaf. Fi ,d Febt l2. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l o, m, "1r-mm 25,52%4775 Mmmm PEN FILLING mavnm mmnwi Filed Feu 1:2, 193e;

fvavezzf' p Parenteel June 4, 1940 l original application February 12, ieee, serial No.

63,648. Divided and this application October 25,1938; serial No.V 236,878

` My invention relates generally tofountain'` pen lling devices,and moreparticularly to an ink-` well which is fountain pen. l

The device of my invention coinprisesgenerally an inkwell having means for receiving the `nib end of a fountain pen and making a sealed "con".

"nection witljli the end of the connection, and further Swithme-ans operated by the movement of )bl the fountain penl withrespect tothe inkwelLfor partially evacuating the `reservoir of the pen and thereafter supplying inkitoithe space fsurround` ing the `hib 0f the pen softhat thenk will HOW I into the reservoir of the fountain pen under at` mospheric pressure'. `In` my `Patent No. 15854,8j`14,

grantedfAp-ril `19, 1932, is disclosed a device of this general type. My "present invention relates to various improvements andmodications ofthe device shown in saidwpatent.

l." `Oneoi the objects of mylinventionisto provide animproved deviceiorautomatically filling fountain pens, which isadapted for attachment to aniordinary ink bottlefand `which is simple in construction and may be manufacturedeconor'ni- '."ll" cally. y Afurther object is` to provide a `fountain pen iilling device Ahaving a minimum number of parts,

thereby reducing the cost of production -and as- 'sembly I A further object fountainpentiilling device which is very compact `and of small dimensions so that `it may'bein-f sert'edthrough the neclr` of 1 an ink bottle `of standard dimensions.'

. description, refereneefbeinghad tothe'laccompanying drawings, in which: Y f

f Figrlisa central;verticalsectionalviewofthe` peniiller; 4 i l 'IO Fig. 2 is a View similar to Figgl showing the slightly modified `form of llingrdevice` withthe diaphragm illustrated in fully operated position; Fig. 3 isa fragmentary sectionalview taken on the `line V3--3o`f 1ig..2;`

Fig; iV is a central veiiticalsectional view of a modified form of theinvention;

Figli` is a fragmentary*sectional` View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. {1;uandfi I Fig. 6 is a transversesectional to the linee-6 of Fig. T4. i l

`This application isa division of myco-'pending application Serial No; fljled `February .12, 1936, patented Aug; 22:, `1939, as Patent No.`

2,170,699, which application is a continuation in" 55E part` `oft` applications Serial Noi "5313890L iiled noperable `-automatically to fill a is to provide `an .improved 5 "Other objects will appear fromthe following V view` taken 'on April 22,` 1931, and Serial No.6055845, led" April 18, 1932. f i The iilling` device of Figs. 1 to 3 inclusivelis` shown as incorporated in a ,bottleiIL which may' be of any suitable construction. The device comu prises a body I 2 which is `inserted in the `neck of the bottle Ill in lieu of the usual stopper: The body maybe made of any suitable material,pref-- erably hard rubber. It is provided with a` central cylindrical well |11, `theupper end ofwhich is laredoutwardly asindi'cated at Iii.` A pas-` iii svageway` I'is formed in the'body` I 2 to receive anink supply tube I8, which is preferably made suiciently long to reach the bottom of the ink bottle and has its end cut at an angle sof as to preclude the `possibility of its being closedby the bottom`suriaceofjthe bottle. "Aduct 2! communicates with; the rpassageway," I5 and opens into the ared portioni of the well; A discharge i passageway 22 which has its upper end open' to the Well at'the lower end of the flared porton I6` may be provided, the lower end oi" this pas# sageway being normally closed by a iiap 251 which is formed from the boldy I2Yby aslitilt extendingl transversely through the passageway.` Thematerial of which `the body l2 is formed issuiiicientlyflexible and resilient` so that the `flap 24 serves as :ineffective ch'eclevalve. i t

A diaphragm 28, which islpreierably made of a fairly elasticY soft rubber,` has a `p`eripl'eralilange 30 of increased thickness which ts' into a com# plementary annular groove 32 fonmed inthe flange portion 34 of the body T12." The diaphragm is secured inthe bodyby means oi a ferrulefi, i

the lower end' 38 of which is` turned `inwardly beneath the flange'portion Se `of the body. The ferrule isprovided with a threaded neck dllwhich may be closed by a suitable cap 42. rIihe dia-" phragin 28h`as a depending hollow frusto-conical pen seat im. This `seat portion Mis preferably of suilicient thickness so that `it `will not be appreciably deformed when a fountain pen is pushedA into. it in the mannerindicated by thefehld por` tion of the fountain pen MS illustratedjin dotted linesinFigl. I 9V" When it is "desired to'ill a `fountain* pen,feither of the sac or the sacless type,l thefcap d2 is re moved andthe peninsertedas indicated by the dotted lines of Fig. 1rA Thereafter, the penis j pressed downwardly,` thus displacing'the'air' in the Well I4, Ithroughthe passageway i225. and f past the check valve ap 2A as well as through` the tube i8; Shortly afterfthe commencement of the downward stroke of the` fountain peut, the; diaphragm f "28 will be tightly stretched over` the@ upper end of the duct 20 and seal the latter.

' The pen will be moved downwardly until the diaphragm will have been flexed and stretched sufcient to displace substantially all of the air containedin thewell, andl in addition possibly eject some of the ink which will normally be present in the well I4. At the lower end of the stroke, the pen may be released, whereupon the diaphragm. will contract to draw the pen seat portion, 44 thereof upwardly. During the initial operation of this movement, the end ofthe duct 20 will be closed by the diaphragm `and a partial vacuum thereafter formed withinthe well. 'This partial vacuum will be effective for-withdrawing or exhausting the contents of the reservoir of the fountain pen. In thesac type the differential pressure will cause collapse of the sac and ejection ofthe contents thereof into the well I4.

In the sacless type of pen, the reduced pressure withinthel well will result in expansion of the air in the reservoir of the pen. As the diaphragm reaches the upper limit of its stroke, it vwill unlcover the end ofthe duct 20, whereupon the ink within the bottle Il!r will be forced upwardly through the tube I8, passageway l5, and duct 204 to substantially the lever of the upper'end ofthe i passageway 22 so that there will always be sufiicient ink therein to permit use of the devilcewithl i ordinary pens asa dipping inkwell. The cap 42 f. will, of course, prevent -the ink in the Well from evapor'ating. The body I2 fits fairlysnugly in the neck of the bottle, but the rfit is' not suinciently tight to prevent the venting of the interior of the bottle tothe atmosphere.' Of course' air may be drawn into the bottle through the passageway 22 past the check valve 24 ywhen the pen seat opening is not closed by a fountain pen. The lcontents of thebottle I0will therefore always beat substantially atmospheric pressure.

.flea

The `construction shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that shown in Fig. l, and is illustrated as applied to an ink bottle of a slightly different type. In

view of the similarity of these two construe# tions, similar reference characters have been applied to the parts of the construction of Fig. 2. which are similarlyyto the corresponding parts of the embodiment of Fig. 1. The diaphragm 20 is, however, held in place by an'apertured cap 50 which has a threaded flange 52 so that it may be screwed to the neck 54 of the'ink bottle. The

body 56 has an annular flange 58'which embraces va rib 60 formed on the upper surface of the bottle neck. If desired, a suitable stopper 62`ftting intothe pen'seat 44 may be `provided to seal the bottle when the device isI not in use'. v f

In the modified form of my Vinvention shown in Figsl, 5 and 6, the construction of the filling device is simplified', the ldesign being suchthat it may be'iinserted in a standard ink bottle. The

-devce is arranged' to be supported by the neck ofV the bottle and to lie'iiush beneath'the upper end of the bottle neck.`

The device comprises a body I I0 having a lwell I I2 formed therein. The body may be made ofV v lanyf desired material, such as a hard rubber compast the check valve |32.

position, celluloid, wood,A phenol condensation Y 'I'he body is provided with` a longitudinal pas` sageway |20 into the lower end of which an air tube |22 is fitted. 'I'he passageway |20 opens into an annular groove |24 formed adjacent the upper edge of the enlarged portion IIE of the well. A discharge passageway |26 leads from a point adjacent the middle of the enlarged portionA I I6 of the well to an outlet port |28. An arcuate groove V|30 is formed in the external surface of the body||0 at the outlet port |28, the groove serving as a recess for a C-shaped valve |32. The latter extends suiiiciently beyond the center of the body IIO and is made of 4a resilient hard material so that it will r-esiliently be held in the place over the outlet port |28.

Upward movement of thepen seat ||4 is limited by engagement of a pair of pins I 3| which are secured in the body I|0, with kthe upper surface of an annular flange |33 formed adjacent the lower end of the pen seat.

The operation of themodiiied-form of my in# vention shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 is substantially the same asthe operation of the construction shown in Fig; `1. Shortly after the commencement of the downward stroke of the pen 'I'he pen seat is formed integrally with seat, the diaphragm I8 will cover the groove |24',v l

and the contents of the well will therefore be ejected through the dis-charge passageway. |26, The' diaphragm will be returned to its normal position due to the elasticity of the diaphragm itself, and during the maj or portiony ofthe return stroke, the diaphragm will coverthe groove |24, whereupon a partial vacuum will be formed in the well. Shortly prior to the completion of the return stroke, the diaphragm will uncover the groove I 24, and ink from the bottle or other container will be forced by atmosphericy pressure through the tubev |22, passageway |20, and groove |24 into the well,.and thence to the reservoir of the fountain pen being filled. l f i i" f* In all of the modiiications of my invention, either the bottle neckv opening or the body is preferably notexactly cylindrical, or mayhave a groove formed thereirnso that the filling de; vice will not completely close the neck but will leave a passageway of small cross-sectional area ments of lmy invention disclosed herein, thev fountain pen is utilized as the means for reciprocating a piston 'or diaphragm which is effec- After tive to change the volume of a chamber. the contents of the chamber have been discharged into the wcontainer (either in whole or in part).

the piston or diaphragm is moved to enlarge the chamber to cause a partial vacuum therein.` This partial vacuum is communicated to the reservoir of the fountain pen and withdraws the contents therefrom. The partial vacuum in the chamber is then relieved by permittingink to flow from the container into the chamber. This ink immers-es the nib of the fountain pen so that as the l partial vacuum is relieved, the ink will iiow into and will the reservoir of the pen.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the fountain pen filling devices are of very simple, inexpensive construction, that they are free from parts which might wear during ordinary operation of the device, and that the operation of filling la fountain pen is made easy and rapid by the use of the device.

While I have illustrated and described a number of embodiments of my invention, other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a fountain pen filling device, the combin nation of a body engageable within the neck of an ink bottle, a diaphragm member having its peripheral edge held rigidly relative to said body and having an apertured pen seat formed at its center, means to limit upward movement of the central portion of said diaphragm, an inlet conduit for supplying ink from said bottle to said well and adapted to be closed by said member, a discharge conduit connecting said well and said bottle, and a check valve normally closing said discharge conduit.

2. In a fountain peny lling device, the combination of a container having an apertured neck, a cup-shaped body fitting within said neck and having a flange overlying the end thereof, a

diaphragm of elastic material stretched over the and opening into the upper end of the cup-` shaped portion thereof, a tube secured in said pasageway and extending to the bottom of said container, and a flexible diaphragm having its peripheral edge secured to `saidbody and forming an air-tight seal therewith, said diaphragm having an apertured pen` seat formed therein for the reception of a fountain pen, and a check valved` outlet passageway for permitting flow of ink from the upper end of the cup portion of said body to said container.

4. In a fountain pen filling device, the combination of a container` having an opening in the top thereof, a body having a well formed therein, a pen seat member of elastic material and having a tubular portion surrounding said body and forming means for securing said member to said body, and means for conveying ink from adjacent the bottom of said container to the upper portion of said well.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 in which said pen seat member is provided with a shoulder, and said body member is provided with a stop engageable by said shoulder to limit up- Ward movement of said pen seat member.

6. The combination set forth in claim 4 in which said pen seat member is vertically reciprocable within said well, an-d in which the tubular portion of' said pen seat member is sumciently elastic and resilient to withdraw the pen seat portion thereof from said well and to create a sufiicient partialvacuumin said well. to exhaust the contents of the reservoir of a fountain pen engaged in said pen seat.

'7. The combination set forth in claim d in which said body member is provided with'a vent passageway leading from said well at a point spaced from the bottom thereof, and in which said venting passageway is normally closed by a resilient check valve which permits flow of fluid from said. well to said container, but prevents flow in the opposite direction.

8. The combination set forth in claim 4 in which said body is provided with a passageway extending from said well to the interior of said container, and in which the container end of said passageway is closed by a check valve cornprising a C-shaped member resiliently embracing said body.

9. In a fountain pen filling device, the combination of a container having an externally threaded apertured neck, a body having a well formed therein extending into the aperture of said neck and having a flange overlying the ends of said neck, a fiexible diaphragm having a pen seat formed adjacent the center thereof and having its peripheral edge overlying the end of said neck, and a metallic ferrule threaded on said neck and clamping the flange of said body and` the peripheral edge of said diaphragm against the end of said neck, said ferrule having a portion limiting outward movement of the pen seat portion of said diaphragm with respect to said body.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9 in which said body and said diaphragm are made of rubber, the rubber of which the diaphragm is made being sufiiciently elastic and resilient to permit movement of the pen seat portion thereof a substantial distance into said well and to withdraw said pen seat portion from said well against the differential pressure occasioned by the formation of a relatively high partial vacuum in said well.

`11. In a fountain pen filling device, the combination of an ink container, a body having a well formed therein and having a passageway for conveying ink from said container to the upper portion of said well, and means to create a partial vacuum in said well comprising, a flex ible diaphragm having its peripheral edge secured to said body in air-tight relationship therewith, an apertured pen seat at the central part of said diaphragm, a portion of said diaphragm overlying the end of said passageway and closing the latter when the central portion of said diaphragm is flexed toward saidwell.

` OWEN R. TERRY. 

